Hooliganism In The Media

Football is one of the main targets for the modern media. Professional and national football teams and its players become objects of worship of thousands and millions people worldwide. Journalists present at every match across the country and all over the world. Audience may follow not only football matches, but training and everyday life of footballers, coaches, football managers and even football therapists. The chances of any story or incident being missed are slim in such media coverage.

Football fanatism is one of the parts of modern football. It is impossible to imagine football match without fans’ activity. Modern football is a kind of interactive show with football stars on the field, performances on the terraces and high quality picture

Before the 1970s the main attention of the media was paid to football directly, i.e. game not terraces. The media reports of football hooligans, possible violence and extra police on football in the late 1970s to mid 1980s influenced the increasing of football hooligans’ interest in coming matches. There wasn’t acute hatred between media and hooligans, but there is no doubt whatsoever that the media have certain effect on football hooliganism. The spate of de-amplification of football violence in the German, Dutch as in Austrian press occurred in the mid to late 1980s. The number of media stories and mentions of football hooliganism gradually decreased and it lost the coverage which football hooligans had previously thrived upon . As a result of such media “playing down” was the decreasing numbers of violent football-related

Sensationalist style of reporting presents football violence as far more of a concern than it actually is, elevating it to a one of the major social problem in England. It’s even possible to affirm that the treatment of football hooliganism in the English Press is one of the factors of amplification whereby sensationalism and exaggerated coverage of a problem can have the effect of worsening it. The huge anticipation of football-related troubles meant that English journalists picking up the smallest of incidents to make a sensation. Furthermore, numerous researchers and some authorities argue that media coverage of hooliganism has actually contributed to the problem. More recently, the popular press has been criticized for its pre-match reporting. However, the certain double standards exist within the tabloid press not only in England, but all over the Europe. On the one hand media are keen to label the football hooligans as “barbarians” and “animals”, their actions as “iniquity”, “harm” and “evil”. Whilst at the same time before top matches media encourage the antagonistic, hostile and even xenophobic views so prevalent within the football hooligans’ scene. The pre-match and football reporting is shrouded in violent or war metaphors and graphic imagery then anyone should not be surprised that this